Barbara is absolutely incredible! She comes to your house and is professional, caring, informative,…read morepatient, and kind. I would have been lost navigating the world of breast feeding without her guidance. Can't recommend her enough!

Barbara was very helpful both during my newborn visits and during a consultation at 8 months. More…read morethan anything she helped me feel confident that my daughter was eating well and that I was doing a good job nursing. At 8 months I began experiencing pain after biting and Barbara guided me through that as well. Very happy she was the person recommended by our pediatrician's s office!

La Leche League (LLL) is awesome! The information and support they offer to anyone trying to feed…read moretheir own milk to their baby is always free. They offer breastfeeding support, they provide information for someone who is pumping exclusively or who is trying to nurse their baby after mastectomy/chest surgery, they are compassionate and helpful. There are LLL Leaders all over the world who are committed to supporting other families who want their little one to have the best milk possible. LLL USA dot org and LLLI dot org both offer contact information for Leaders. LLL USA provides the info for the United States. If you're in Oklahoma, check on LLLOK dot org.

This is a great network of mothers who meet once a month to support each other with their…read morebreastfeeding choices. They meet at Illinois Masonic Hospital in Lakeview on the third Tuesday of each month. To get involved or for more info, you can contact one of their leaders: Hilde 773 868 4860 hmkaiser@ameritech.net Joelle 773 733 3478 jpermutt@aol.com Nancy 773 338 0137 nmachaj@sbcglobal.net Juli 773 725 8891 juliwalter@mindspring.com It wasn't easy to get to the first time I went, so here is the way to find the meeting if you decide to go: Enter through the main hospital entrance and follow the signs to room G34 in the Education Center. Everyone was very nice and welcoming to new mothers attending. I don't know if I will continue to go to this meeting because it is at night. I don't know what kind of schedule the baby will be on, but there is another group that meets at Be By Baby in Roscoe Village in the day time. I will just have to see... Overall, this is a great way to meet other moms and learn about mothering from women who have experience.

Kate saved me from giving up on my breastfeeding journey! After more than 4 weeks of dealing with…read morean incredibly painful latch, I had enough and knew I needed help. I matched with Kate through The Lactation Network (highly recommend) and she paid me a home visit within a day or two. She was prompt, professional and responsive before, during and after our visits, and listened to my concerns and struggles. She also was extremely conscious of health protocols during our visits which was very important to me given the current landscape. Kate taught me a new position and helped me get comfortable and practice it with my newborn, and helped create a feeding plan that worked for me and my baby. After our initial visit, I was still struggling and she came by for a follow-up visit within two days to troubleshoot. I am now regularly nursing my baby confidently and couldn't have done it without her! Thank you, Kate!

Kate is fantastic and I am so grateful to her for helping us navigate through a stressful time. We…read morehad a rough start to our transition home (needing immediate help), and Kate was quickly available to help us with an in-home visit. Kate took a flexible approach and listened to our challenges, and helped us make a plan and gain confidence to get back on track. We have made such progress in such a short amount of time and truly appreciate Kate for the empathy and education she provided us!

Leah Lemelin helped me trust my body more, feel calmer, and more present with what I was…read moreexperiencing. I felt more in command and confident throughout. I thought I wanted a doula just for the day of delivery but what I found was that the work we did together before delivery is what altered the whole experience. It was deeply supportive and prepared me in a way I didn't even know I needed or was possible. So, even if you are an experienced mom, you are having a traditional medical birth, having Leah as your doula will deepen your experience and give it back to you as truly yours in a profound way. I can't thank her enough for walking with me through it and guiding me into myself so I could remember my own agency and power and strength in it all.

Mary has been our lactation consultant for 1 year. She had been part of my support network since we…read moresaw her during an at-home visit when my daughter was 1 month old. I'd count her as one of the women that I've most leaned on as a first-time mother. She is a walking book of knowledge on everything child related. She is kind and passionate and always available. I'm not sure where we'd be without her. We are so grateful to have her in our lives.

We enjoyed working with Lindsey as a birth doula for my recent birth. She is very calm, friendly,…read moreknowledgeable about pregnancy and infant care and familiar with navigating the hospital environment. She helped me during a hospital birth where I made use of tub and tried to avoid interventions. During labor, she assisted by putting heat packs on my pressure points, guiding me into different positions to make laboring easier and effective, making use of a tub for labor, and creating a calm, reassuring and positive atmosphere. Her experience, knowledge, confidence and personality make her a great doula. She also has kids of her own and can relate to moms.

I wish I could give a 6th star. I was nervous to give birth so I opted to get a doula…read more I can't say enough good things about Holly--she was truly a lifesaver during my birth experience. From the start, her calm, grounded energy helped me feel supported and confident, even when things didn't go according to plan. When my labor stalled, Holly guided me through exercises that actually got things moving--my water broke soon after, and she also shared positions that helped my baby flip. Her pain management workshop gave me tools I leaned on hard during some intense moments. And when my epidural failed (twice!), Holly didn't miss a beat. She advocated for me when I was in pain and made sure I felt heard and cared for. I honestly don't know what I would've done without her. She played a huge role in turning what could've been a traumatic experience into something empowering. If you're considering a doula, do yourself a favor and call Holly. She's the real deal.

When I was on the Bowmanville Garden Walk last year, before I even got pregnant, I noticed Family…read morePicnic in the neighborhood as I was walking around. I made note of it in hopes that I'd successfully achieve a pregnancy and might check out the programs here, and once I was pregnant signed up for their mailing list. They offer a variety of services from doula and lactation support, childbirth and early childhood classes, to various parent & baby groups. I was here because I attended a music program for babies that was held here and hosted by a partner organization. The space is really lovely and welcoming to parents and children; there are gathering spaces, chairs, pillows, and whatnot. You'll need to take your shoes off when you enter so don't wear lace up thigh high boots! There are great east facing windows that let in enough light that I think when I was here we didn't even have the lights on. I'd like to attend a group that they have here (and as of September 2023 they have a check-in offer for just that, so I hope to use it soon!). The other two parent/baby groups at the music class we went to have been in attendance here because they knew one another, and it would be great to have a community closer to my neighborhood. Parking is ample--it's not a permit zone on Damen itself, though I'm not sure about the side streets. I'd encourage any new parent to see what they have to offer.

My husband and I recently took the 5 week labor class, a breastfeeding class, and a new parent…read moreclass, and it was a wonderful experience all around. The owners/class facilitators are so welcoming and kind, and we learned so much as soon to be first time parents. I really liked the small group feel and that there was no judgment, they really encourage everyone to make choices that work best for them and their baby. It is also very affordable compared to some other classes I looked at. I would highly recommend all of the classes, especially the 5 week series, to any new parents in Chicagoland that want to understand the labor and delivery process better and learn about all the potential choices you'll be making together,

Partum is everything I didn't know I needed in my postpartum and pregnancy journey…read more I truly do credit them with facilitating a smooth and joyful late pregnancy/postpartum period. The services offered are a really important complement to the "standard" maternity care. I was sure I was going to have a stressful and chaotic postpartum experience and while there has been stress, working with Partums providers--to really establish breastfeeding, to partner with a postpartum doula as we got set up at home, to evaluate physical changes post delivery and to process some of the major adjustments to life with a newborn--has made all the difference in transitioning to this new role. This has been enhanced by the ability to group chat the whole care team and get input through some early parenting panics and blips. This ecosystem of support has smoothed some of the very rough edges of early parenthood- and we are immensely grateful. This is the rare service that I promote to everyone I know--even people who aren't having babies, in the hopes that they'll mention it to people in their lives who are.

I cannot recommend this service highly enough -- it LITERALLY saved my life. I had heard from…read moreseveral friends that the "fourth trimester" is incredibly hard, and it's valuable to have things lined up in advance because even the little stuff can feel overwhelming. Partum helped prepare me to take care of myself and my daughter, and made the process completely seamless. They helped me schedule an in-home lactation consult a few days after my daughter arrived, and the consultant alerted me that my postpartum symptoms were actually signs of a dangerous complication. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! If Partum had not helped me prepare for my daughter's birth, I would not have followed up with my doctor. My entire family is so grateful for their exceptional service and product.

TL;DR: Jenn is fantastic…read more I went back and forth about whether I might need a doula for my birth. I had decided I probably didn't need one, but then about three weeks before my due date I completely changed my mind and was really worried about whether I'd be able to find anyone on such short notice. I was really lucky to touch base with Jenn and engage her for my birth. She was quick to set up a time with me so we could talk about me, my birth goals, and in general what I could expect as I welcomed my first and long-awaited child into the world in July 2023. When I found that my baby had moved to a breech position, I let her know since that posed some potential changes and challenges and we discussed those options a little more in depth so I could wrap my head around them. She also helped me practice some various positions that some swear by to help the baby turn. Because of the breech presentation I had to schedule a c-section but was glad to have Jenn on my team as both someone who has seen more births than me and as someone who's experienced a c-section herself. She was out of town for a couple days prior to my birth but was still available to me if I needed anything from her. She offered to drive me to the hospital the day of my c-section, which is an offer I took her up on and my mom and significant other came to the hospital a bit later. In the lead-up to my c-section Jenn made sure to share my birth plan with the doctor and nurse. She made sure everyone wore masks per my request. And whilst I was actually having the c-section, she spoke with me, played some music when I asked, and kept me calm. I was not terribly scared of the procedure but more a bit unnerved about being conscious whilst I was being cut into, so those actions helped. And when my baby was born (a girl, which upon hearing made me exclaim "Yay, Im so glad!"), she took photos, brought the baby to me for cheek to cheek contact as soon as possible and skin to skin as well. She stayed with me through recovery, helped my daughter latch for her first feed, and remained with me until they brought me up to my room. Whilst my daughter and I were in the hospital, Jenn checked in with me by text several times to check on how we were doing and offer support. I'm 11 days postpartum now and we'll be setting up a postpartum visit soon. I'm really grateful to have had Jenn's knowledge and support, even if for such a short time given my procrastination. I hope I'll be pregnant again soon and will contact Jenn again for her services--just earlier this time!

'10/10 highly recommend working w Jenn. She was everything I was looking for with my doula support-…read morewarm, supportive, flexible and relatable. From the moment we spoke, I felt a sense of ease and that she cared about supporting MY goals throughout the process; not pushing an agenda. Great pre birth lead up to get me prepared. And excellent at keeping me calm and advicating for what I wanted throughout L&D. She offered to give extra support session to my husband, who had some anxiety about my labor. I don't know how I would have navigated this process without her. And if I'm lucky enough to have a second child, will DEFINITELY work with her again.

Judy was there for, and with, me every step of the way. From 5 days after my baby was born, to…read morenavigating many feeding struggles, to making hard decisions to pivot, to walking me through the necessary pivots, and all the while affirming that I was making good choices for me and my family. I truly do not know how I would have made it through the first 3 months of being a mom without the knowledge, skillset, kindness, and compassion that Judy brings into her work. Judy's passion for helping mom and baby navigate feeding together, and in the healthiest way possible, was instrumental to my postpartum journey and to my baby's overall well-being. I cannot recommend Judy enough. A skilled professional and wonderful person. I will forever be deeply grateful to you, Judy!

It's hard to express in a short review just how much of an asset Judy was throughout my…read morebreastfeeding/pumping journey. When Judy came for her first visit, I was 1 week postpartum and feeling overwhelmed. Despite taking a class and meeting with the lactation consultants in the hospital, I felt wholly unprepared for the many different scenarios that can come up when trying to breastfeed a newborn. After spending nearly 2 hours together, I felt like this giant weight had come off my shoulders. Not only did I learn so much from Judy, but her warmth, humor, and support had me feeling like a new person! Because each visit includes a period of follow-up with her, she continued to provide me with invaluable support in the following weeks (and months). I truly would not have made it without her. When I talk to other friends who have worked with Judy, the response is always unanimous: "I LOVE Judy!" If you make the (very smart) decision to work with her, you'll quickly understand why.